Friday Rhapsody Of Realities - Be On The Offensive Against Satan

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).

You don’t need to pray, “Oh Lord, make me strong; help me to overcome temptations; help me to stand against the devil.” Such a prayer is unnecessary, because He already told you what to do to stand: “Put on the whole armour of God....” With your armour on, you’ll be able to stand your ground and resist every onslaught from the enemy; you’ll not succumb to fear, irrespective of what happens around you.

However, if you don’t put on the armour, it doesn’t matter how intensely you pray; it’ll not work. The instruction is to put on “the whole armour of God,” not some of it. And notice also that it doesn’t say, “So that you may be able to stand against the power of the devil”; that’s because the devil isn’t a factor; he has no power. The new creation is superior to him. The reason you’re to put on the armour of God is for you to be able to stand against “the WILES of the devil,” not his power.

The underlined word is “methodeia” in Greek, from where the English got the word, “method.” It refers to the travesties, stratagems, schemes, and manipulations of the devil. When you’re kitted with the whole armour of God, you’ll have the ability to frustrate and nullify these stratagems and deceptive mechanisms of Satan.

There’re people who aren’t able to stand when troubles come; life becomes miserable for them. Don’t be that way. The Bible says having done all to stand, stand therefore (Ephesians 6:13-14); in other words, endure to the end. Don’t give in; don’t give up. Wear the devil out. He doesn’t have what it takes to withstand you; resist him and he’ll flee from you. How do you resist him? It’s with the spoken Word; that’s part of your armour; it’s called the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). Use it and the rest of the armour to keep Satan where he belongs—under your feet!

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for the instructions in your Word; they’re life to me. I’m fully kitted with the whole armour of God, steadfast, unwavering, firmly rooted, grounded, and unmovable in the face of staggering opposition or contrary circumstances. I render futile the wiles, tactics, manipulations, and strategies of the devil, with my shield of faith, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: Psalm 37:39; The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble
2 Corinthians 4:16-18; That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! ¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 2 Corinthians 8-9, Proverbs 24-26
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 2 Thessalonians 2:11-17, Jeremiah 27